Monday, February 9, 2009

Pastries from Provence En Boite

It's been recommended to me on a number of occasions that I try the croissants at Provence En Boite (263 Smith Street at DeGraw Street, 718-797-0707) (thanks Mimi!). I was even at a potluck Brunch in Western Massachusetts recently when someone, upon learning I lived in Brooklyn, enthusiastically came over to me to encourage me to seek out this little pastry. So this past weekend I decided it was time. I picked up a few of their baked goods and went home for the taste test.

I started with the plain croissant. It looked like a little crab to me; it was the size of the palm of my hand, with two sharp curled-in points that looked like claws. It was crusty on the outside, super flaky and slightly sweet and very rich and buttery. Pretty much the perfection I had heard about.



The Chocolate Croissant was on the smallish side as well, which is probably a good thing, since these little treats are so rich with tons of butter. This was made with two" logs" of hard chocolate which is not my preference. I'd much rather have softer, richer chocolate spread evenly throughout the middle. The dough was flaky, and everything tasted good though - fresh, not fake.



The Almond Croissant was really good. The almond paste was subtle, and not overpowering, in a thin layer inside the soft & dense yet flaky shell. Powdered sugar coated the top along with lots of slivers of almonds. I think this was my favorite out of the three.



I haven't been here for a full meal yet, although I've heard mixed reviews. Your thoughts?

Provence En Boite on Urbanspoon

4 comments:

FN said...

I've only had some of the sweet things there, nothing savory yet.

I did like what I had.

Unknown said...

I was extremely disappointed in the brunch I had at Provence. Service was slow, portions were tiny, and it felt really overpriced. The entree came with zero to accompany it, and when there are so many good brunches in the area where you get a full meal for the same price, I don't plan on going back for brunch. But I'm open to it for patries.

BestViewInBrooklyn said...

I went there a few times when it was in Bay Ridge. So good. The brunch was amazing. I should get back, but toting two babes has me a tad shy about places with lots of chairs and tables. I'm sure that's appreciated by the rabble. ;)

rony @ catbird said...

If you eat there ask them to heat up the chocolate croissants. Perfection.